How to Prepare Skin for Cold Weather

Winter is on its way — and so is that
harsh weather leads to dry, flaky, and irritated skin. The cold air, wind and
low humidity dry skin out which, in more extreme cases, can cause irritation
and flaking. Thankfully, your skin doesn’t need to be at the mercy of
unpleasant weather conditions. Here’s how to prepare your skin for the drop in
mercury.

Exfoliate

Exfoliation is important year round
and is the key to maintaining a healthy glow. The process helps unstick lackluster,
dead skin cells so that newer, healthier cells underneath can radiate. One
thing to keep in mind — try to find an exfoliator that is gentle enough to use
once or twice week, as optimally you want to exfoliate around twice a week.

Our ILUMA Intense Brightening Exfoliating
Powder is a gentle, water-activated
cleansing powder that smoothes uneven skin texture by buffing away dead skin
cells. Ultra-fine rice starch and pumpkin enzyme are mild on skin but slough
off dead skin cells to improve the appearance of uneven texture. Healthy skin
is even-textured skin, so don’t forget to exfoliate regularly to prevent
buildup and clogging, which can lead to the appearance of blemishes and other
visible imperfections.

Make
Sure Your Cleanser Is Hydrating While Removing Grime

Dirt and impurities can settle into
your pores and cause pesky blemishes to pop up, which is why cleanser is always
must. However, some cleansers can dry skin out, which is especially bad in
winter because the cold air is already drying your skin out! The key is to find
a cleanser that’s hydrating and removes all those problem causing impurities.

The VITAL C Hydrating Facial Cleanser is a creamy cleanser that can gently remove makeup and
other impurities while keeping skin hydrated and infused with vitamin C.
Vitamin C helps brighten the appearance of skin and the creamy texture of the
cleanser actually works to hydrate skin while cleansing.

Add
a Rich Moisturizing Cream After Using Serum

While a serum or a light moisturizer
was all summer skin may have needed, winter skin is a bit more demanding. Not
only is your skin not receiving as much water as it was during the summer, but
hot showers can actually strip away your body’s natural moisturizers which keep
water in place (see below). So, it’s important to make sure that your skin is
hydrated but moisturization is what keeps water locked into skin.

Our VITAL C Hydrating Repair Creme was made to strike the balance and infuse your with
hydration while providing the tools to keep that hydration locked in. To that
end, the formula has many powerful, beneficial, and natural ingredients which
help skin stay healthy against the cold, nipping winds. First, there’s
ceramides, which are naturally found in your skin’s lipid barrier. They hold
skin cells together, like glue, forming a shield that helps retain moisture.
There’s also hyaluronic acid, the gold standard in hydration. This
super-molecule absorbs up to 1,000 times its weight in water. Also naturally
present in your skin and fillers, hyaluronic acid is the key to a visibly
smooth appearance.

Use
a Humidifier

You usually break out the humidifier
when you’re sick, but the steamy invention also has beauty benefits that makes
it an amazing tool for preventing winter skin dry out. In the summer, the air
is humid which helps your skin stay hydrated and supple. In winter, the air is
cold and dry — so your skin isn’t able to absorb as much water from the
surroundings to keep your skin hydrated. Of course, you can’t bring summer
back, but putting out a humidifier has the same effect in that it adds humidity
to the air that your skin can use. This will help sooth dried out, itchy, and
cracked skin suffering from harsh winter weather. Just make sure to seal in
this extra hydration with a moisturizer!

Don’t
Take Long Hot Showers

With the cold settling in, it’s
definitely tempting to crank up the heat and take a nice, long, hot shower.
While the urge is a difficult one to resist, the benefits to your skin are
definitely worth it. Taking long, hot and steamy showers will strip your
natural oils faster than your skin can produce them and can cause irritation.
Because your skin uses natural oils to lock water in, this can lead to dry,
parched skin. Basically, hot showers rob your skin of its moisturization
defense, which is a necessity for hydrated skin. Just how does this happen? The
heat from your shower softens your skin’s oils, which are then more easily swept
away with soap. Plus, when your skin does get dry, it is more vulnerable to
irritation. Speaking of soap, also try to use a more mild soap which is tough
on dirt but won’t strip away too much of your skin’s natural oils.